Preserving and promoting the Russian language and other languages of Russia is of great importance for harmonizing interethnic relations, ensuring civil unity and reinforcing the country's sovereignty and integrity, President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations and the Council on the Russian Language, according to an article posted on the website of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East.

"For each one of us, preserving our native language is equal to preserving one's identity, distinctive character and traditions. Complex and comprehensive efforts to study and support the languages of the peoples of Russia should be continued," the President said.

Putin recalled that schools provide education in 89 languages, with 30 languages of instruction and 59 languages taught as school subjects.

Presidential advisor Vladimir Tolstoi gave a speech highlighting the importance of preserving linguistic diversity for ensuring interethnic concord and strengthening the unity of the multiethnic people of Russia.

"We should work at the federal level so that ethnic culture education is better supported by research and expertise on ensuring that educational institutions all over Russia are provided with adequate teaching materials," he said.

The councils recommended that the Russian government take measures to set up a center devoted to the cultures of Russia's peoples in 2015, and a foundation to give assistance to events and social projects aimed at strengthening civil unity and harmonizing interethnic relations, as well as preserving and promoting the cultures and languages of Russia's peoples.

Members of councils decided to include establishing and developing mass media in ethnic languages, improving language technology, and promoting the training of specialists in literary translation from ethnic languages of Russia in the action plan for 2016-2018 to implement the state interethnic policy strategy until 2025.